Mileage with Bed Cap?

[Vaughn4380]

Hello all,

I have a new 2013 Ram 1500 with the Pentastar and eight speed auto. Truck has about 1,150 miles on it I am averaging 22 mpg with it in it's stock form. This has been verified in by hand when I fill up and agrees to the truck's dash-computer. I drive with a light foot, cruise control set at 5 miles over the speed limit, and a mix of 50% highway and 30% back country roads, and 20% city driving.

Love the mileage I am getting out of this thing, a truly unexpected surprise as I was only expecting 20 mpg tops when I bought it.

Anyways, the reason I bought it was to haul 1200 pounds of band equipment on the weekends (PA system, guitar amps, etc.). When I bought the truck, I mentioned buying a bed cap to the salesman and he thought it would lower the mpg quite a bit. He said the Dodge engineers designed the truck to be the most aerodynamically efficient in stock form and any bed cap or tonneau cover would change that, and lower mpg.

So my question: Does anyone here have a 2013 with a bed cap or tonneau? And if you do, did you notice any effect on mpg? Since they redesigned the 2013 I am finding it hard to find anyone with experience to this specific model.

If there is a negative effect on mpg, I might just get a trailer instead. I only need it on weekends so my commute durring the week would still get great mpg.

Thanks for the input!

 

[0212353]

The salesman doesn't know ****.



Find a great cover, like the Bakflip from our vendor here - BAK Factory Outlet - DODGE RAM FORUM - Dodge Truck Forums - and LOVE it.

I didn't see a drop, but I don't really check mine, and at times I flip the cutout open and drive like Mario Andretti.

 

[albertschmitz]

I concur the salesperson is misinformed, Dodge does make the truck as efficient with airflow as they can with the parachute open but it iwll help with it closed. I am of course refering to the tailgate.

 

[Etroze86]

Plus its a pickup, kinda like a brick going through the air. I'd put one on just for the fact your cargo will be way more secure.

 

[Vaughn4380]

Plus its a pickup, kinda like a brick going through the air. I'd put one on just for the fact your cargo will be way more secure.

Correct, what I want to avoid is taking a daily driver that gets 22 mpg, dropping a cap on it (not a tonneau), and find out I now get 15 mpg due to the aerodynamic change.

I would rather buy a trailer for the weekends if that were the case.

 

[BlackedOutHemi]

You'll be fine. Your mileage isn't gonna drop much at all with a topper. The biggest difference will be the weight of whatever you choose.

As for those saying the tailgate is basically a giant wall the wind hits and creates resistance. That's not true at all. Let me try to explain...

The truck is designed such that when moving, it creates a sort of air bubble in the tailgate right behind the cab, in technical terms they call it a "Locked Air Vortex". This bubble of air basically acts like a cover on the bed, and the air flow while driving goes right over the bed and never creates drag by hitting the tailgate. Technically, driving without your tailgate or with it down will create more resistance and drag on your truck than driving with it up.

 

[Etroze86]

I have had them on a few pickups from little Mazda's to F150 I didn't notice a change in milage but to tell the truth I wasn't paying attention. I would imagine it wouldn't change much or at all from an areodynamics stand point, but if you go with a heavy model like reinforced fiber glass I bet it might change slightly. I still like the idea of a cap over a trailer just for the fact that they aren't as noticeable when say parking in a hotel parking lot and all your equipment is locked inside. Thats my opinion though and like I said I think of pickup as a flying brick not to concered with milage at all.

 

[bitNine]

Depends on weight, but taking the tailgate out of the equation can reduce aerodynamic drag. But, looking at the aerodynamics test seen here: 2013 RAM 1500 Aerodynamics - YouTube, you can see that the smoke goes straight over the bed, and past the tailgate. It may or may not make a difference on this truck.

 

[Sweetee]

Mpg

Just thought I'd throw in my $.02. I have a 2012 Ram Express Hemi with a Leer fiberglass cap. My highway mileage runs between 19 & 21 depending on conditions. However, I'm expecting that it'll pick up a bit now that winter blend fuel is gone and conditions are inproving finally here in the midwest. I don't think the cap will hurt your mileage much if at all. Good luck and "rock on!"

 

[BlackedOutHemi]

Depends on weight, but taking the tailgate out of the equation can reduce aerodynamic drag. But, looking at the aerodynamics test seen here: 2013 RAM 1500 Aerodynamics - YouTube, you can see that the smoke goes straight over the bed, and past the tailgate. It may or may not make a difference on this truck.

Like I said in my post above, removing the tailgate doesn't reduce drag. It actually makes it worse.

 

[albertschmitz]

As for those saying the tailgate is basically a giant wall the wind hits and creates resistance. That's not true at all. Let me try to explain...

So that is why light weight items in the bed go from the back to the front? What is that magic?? The discussion was the salesperson said it will hurt the mpg

When I bought the truck, I mentioned buying a bed cap to the salesman and he thought it would lower the mpg quite a bit. He said the Dodge engineers designed the truck to be the most aerodynamically efficient in stock form and any bed cap or tonneau cover would change that, and lower mpg

 

[BlackedOutHemi]

Yep. Well that and braking hard enough! If you've ever had a can in the back you'll notice it flies up and hits the rear window before going to the back and doing another circle. Theres what you could imagine as a sideways whirlpool of wind in the bed that creates that pocket. And I realize its about a topper hurting MPG, just clarifying that statement that others have made before saying I don't think a topper will effect MPGs on anything besides weight.

 

[gofish101]

All these are based on a stock truck with a lot of rack, so if you have a leveled truck will that change the equation at all?

 

[Ram bo]

I put a tonnopro lo roll on mine, mainly to cover the bins I have in back for groceries & what not. milage increase was negligible, at least in my case.

 

[ramforme]

Hello all,

I have a new 2013 Ram 1500 with the Pentastar and eight speed auto. Truck has about 1,150 miles on it I am averaging 22 mpg with it in it's stock form. This has been verified in by hand when I fill up and agrees to the truck's dash-computer. I drive with a light foot, cruise control set at 5 miles over the speed limit, and a mix of 50% highway and 30% back country roads, and 20% city driving.

Love the mileage I am getting out of this thing, a truly unexpected surprise as I was only expecting 20 mpg tops when I bought it.

Anyways, the reason I bought it was to haul 1200 pounds of band equipment on the weekends (PA system, guitar amps, etc.). When I bought the truck, I mentioned buying a bed cap to the salesman and he thought it would lower the mpg quite a bit. He said the Dodge engineers designed the truck to be the most aerodynamically efficient in stock form and any bed cap or tonneau cover would change that, and lower mpg.

So my question: Does anyone here have a 2013 with a bed cap or tonneau? And if you do, did you notice any effect on mpg? Since they redesigned the 2013 I am finding it hard to find anyone with experience to this specific model.

If there is a negative effect on mpg, I might just get a trailer instead. I only need it on weekends so my commute durring the week would still get great mpg.

Thanks for the input!

I always thought I liked the toppers as I had them before and thought they were cool. But the last one I bought for a F150 - I wish I hadn't. Visibility suks when backing up. Yes, they are neat for putting stuff in to keep dry - BUT, do you really want to be crawling all the way to the front inside the topper to get your guitar and monitors out? It's a B****; trust me I know as I have done that very thing. My suggestion is the trailer - one you can keep padlocked and not have to do so much loading and unloading. And, you can wheel a dolly right up in there without the crawling.

Get a bed cover for your truck instead of a topper, one of those that is easy to take off and a trailer for the equipment. Then bring the trailer over with equipment whenever I gig and set the equipment up for me too, will ya? HA HA

 

[craigsez]

You'll be fine. Your mileage isn't gonna drop much at all with a topper. The biggest difference will be the weight of whatever you choose.

As for those saying the tailgate is basically a giant wall the wind hits and creates resistance. That's not true at all. Let me try to explain...

The truck is designed such that when moving, it creates a sort of air bubble in the tailgate right behind the cab, in technical terms they call it a "Locked Air Vortex". This bubble of air basically acts like a cover on the bed, and the air flow while driving goes right over the bed and never creates drag by hitting the tailgate. Technically, driving without your tailgate or with it down will create more resistance and drag on your truck than driving with it up.

That theory was test and proven exactly rigjt by those two sience guys on tv...drawing a blank on the name of the show at the moment..

 

[zj4x4]

Mythbusters

 

[Tek]

Yep mythbusters showed you loose efficiency with the tailgate down. The vortex keeps the air flowing over the bed instead of into it

 

[Hornet]

The High Efficiency trucks come with a factory tonnue cover to help increase mileage.
Chryslers tests show them to add enough to the mileage to be a worthwhile addition

 

[stokes.greg]

My 2013 crew cab gets 13.4 with or with out my bed cover. 4x4 5.7 3.55 gears 275/65-20 10 ply tires. But that's me driving it not putt putting around. No happy about that but I love the truck.